In dividing shelf area for displaying merchandise the partitions adjacent the edges of the shelves are commonly referred to as banding, while the partitions which form the interior dividers are referred to as binning. These partitions have been secured to each other by means of separate clips, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,961,486 to Hall, 2,220,469 to Wouters, 2,885,091 to Van Pelt, and 2,894,303 to Armstrong et al. These partitions have also been secured to each other by means of clips anchored to a shelf, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,940,505 to Paulick, 1,961,486 to Hall, referred to above, and 2,228,221 to Bales. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,962,967 to Nathan, these partitions have been secured to each other by means of a clip anchored to one of the partitions. Armstrong et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,019, secure a partition to a shelf by means of hooks integral with the partition, while in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,872,976 to Moore et al. and 4,395,955 to Pfeifer, partitions are secured to each other and to a shelf by means integral with the partitions.
All of the arrangements defined by the above patentees seek to satisfy similar objectives, that is, to secure the partitions to each other and/or to a shelf. A principal objective, however, is flexibility, not only in adapting the partitions to a number of different configurations but also in the standardization of components. Another important objective is ease of use in obtaining the desired configurations. The partitions must be capable of being rearranged quickly and easily, even by unskilled personnel. Additionally, the partitions must be durable to withstand hard use and stable to resist disengagement of the partitions with each other and with the shelf on which they rest.